Weekend Music Picks

Here are musicianKen Beasley’s top music picks on the Lower East Side this weekend:

Mary Bragg

MARY BRAGG – Fri., Feb 25 | 8PM at The Living Room

Mary Bragg has been likened to folks such as Patty Griffith and Mindy Smith, and the comparisons are certainly apt. She’s got the voice, and she’s got the writing chops. She’s also fallen in with great company – like Lee Alexander, who’s recorded Norah Jones and Amos Lee, and also Tom Schick, who’s worked with Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams. As a result, she’s put out some high caliber albums, showcasing her talents enough to garner several songwriting accolades and prime festival slots. FREE // 154 Ludlow St.

DANNY ROSS – Sat., Feb 26 | 10:15PM at the Mercury Lounge

Danny Ross

East Coaster Danny Ross is quick to admit that he owes a lot to the music & musicians of the past (in particular, the ’60s), but then, who doesn’t? What sets Ross apart from the other retro-inspired artists of today, however, is what he does with it. He doesn’t emulate the dudes of yesteryear so much as pick up where they left off. A highly creative composer – in my mind, Ross shares some similarities with folks like England’s Mika, in the way he’ll bravely have a horn-line cut-off 3 ½ beats before you expect it to, or take a bouncy jazz tune and direct it towards full on rock-opera-dom. But then the comparison must end. Where Mika is clearly more inclined toward Dance, Ross is straight-up Rock n’ Roll. $10//6 Delancey St.

LIFEGAURD NIGHTS – Sat., Feb 19 | 11PM at Fontana’s

Lifegaurd Nights

What was once the South Jersey Seashore Lifegaurd Convention Band is now the much sleeker, sexier, and easier to say Lifegaurd Nights. And much like David Hasslehoff in Baywatch/Baywatch Nights, we have Vincent Brue, the mastermind behind the music of both Lifegaurd bands, who may or may not have also drunkenly eaten a cheeseburger on the living room floor at one time in his life. What Brue has done, is single-handedly write, perform and record countless catchy rock songs, each one different from the last, boasting such memorable refrains as “Jesus thinks you’re an asshole,” and “I’m sleeping on the floor tonight, like a whore tonight,”. What’s more, is that these songs really do ROCK. $8// 105 Eldridge St.

Splitting his time between performing and producing, contributor Ken Beasley primarily plays with his own roots/rock band, Ken Beasley & Co., as well as the power punk outfit, Missy Sport, while also curating the Underground at the Abrons music series on the Lower East Side.